Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Geraldo Rivera issued an apology late Wednesday for his statements defending ousted Today show co-anchor Matt Lauer against sexual-misconduct allegations. Rivera’s comments prompted disapproval from Fox News, which said it was “troubled” by remarks in which he questioned whether the “current epidemic” of sexual-harassment allegations was wrongly “criminalizing courtship.” Rivera said later he “didn’t sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem long hidden.” “Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming to them. Often victims are too frightened to come forward in a timely manner,” he wrote on Twitter. Hours after Lauer was fired from NBC on Wednesday, Rivera called Lauer a “highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me.” “News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation,” he said.